Obsidian Heist: Battle for Immortality!
by Agent Vesper
Summary: Kaitou Kid's latest heist goes awry when the Black Organization shows just as much interest in the treasure as he does! With the two men in black chasing them down, will Conan and Kaitou escape the Heist in one piece?


**Obsidian Heist: Battle for Immortality!**

Kaitou Kid's latest heist goes awry when the Black Organization shows just as much interest in the treasure as he does! With the two men in black chasing them down, will Conan and Kaitou escape the Heist in one piece?

_A collaborative one shot story from G & C. _

_Warning, contains some language as well as blood and suspenseful situations._

_Please enjoy!_

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"It's time we've played again; but this time I'll be fair.

I left a note outside her window and left it to the air.

I turned tail and left the six of the pair,

And returned with a smile to my Obsidian Lair."

Signed, doodle and all, Kaitou Kid.

It hadn't taken too dreadfully long for a certain seven-year-old kid to get his lithe fingers on the white card the poem had been left on – and it took even less time for him to figure out the thief's intentions. A more simple riddle, at best, made the boy mildly concerned – tracing his finger over the words, he frowned with distaste. Although the inspectors behind him who had received the note were blind to the truth, Edogawa Conan was disappointed with the simplicity of the words.

He dropped a few hints to the adults, pointed to words, and smiled blankly until they put the pieces together themselves; which led, of course, to where he was that night.

Given Mouri Kogoro's stance with the police and Mouri Ran being Conan's caretaker, the boy had successfully delivered himself to the would-be crime-scene of Kaitou's newest heist. The trio found themselves downtown with a large crowd of Kid-enthusiasts, along with the Beika police and Nakamori's own band of elite officers; business as usual for nights where Kid would show his face.

The gem he was after was an obsidian statue that had been uncovered recently from a dig-site in Africa; known as the Obsidian Sanctum to locals at the site, it was said to possess powers over death as persistence for life – it made dying harder and living easier. Not an exact form of immortality, said the legends and the folklore, but enough to garner the attention of anyone who wished to uncover its secret.

Conan had perked to the notice of the sheer beauty of the gem – having been melded into the form of a thylacine, many African natives believed it came from Australia before man had learned travel; with stripes of silver and emerald eyes, a ruby tongue and diamond fangs came Kaitou's attention, because above all things the Sanctum had to offer, it was wealth.

The boy, stationed with Ran, her father and the Beika police, pocketed his hands, running a mental tongue over the words Kaitou had used in his letter. He was lost in thought, mindlessly holding Ran's hand as he looked up at the tall building the Sanctum was housed in. Surrounded by helicopters, a few stationary to hold a large glider-proof net, it made him wonder just how Kid would enter.

But knowing Kid? He was already there.

But of course, such an item was a spectacle to behold. And indeed in its purity and in terms of wealth the news of its recent uncovering had spread quickly. Of course, it was a thought to have been fabled, and that made it even so more sought after with its said properties… Kid wasn't the only one who found it utmost desirable.

A certain organization of course fount it quite tantalizing. With the promise of studying those otherworldly properties, getting their hands on it would seem as though it was only a matter of time. Though with the fact that they hadn't found it first became a bit of an issue when it came down to awareness. It would have made quite the publicized mess for THEM to make off with the thing. Laying low was key to many of their actions.

And that's what made the Kid heist so utterly convenient. The Phantom Thief's acts were already quite so televised... It seemed to take the dirty work right off their hands... In panning, at least. Interception was the key. Kid wouldn't be making far off with his prize tonight…

Or at least that was the thought.

There were a few certain members stationed about incognito, relaying information to one another, Such as position and what was happening at the moment (nothing being, at the given time) and the like. All low time members, no one particular person could be spotted from the crowd as a member of the Black. Just many of the Organization's eyes amongst the crowd of otherwise civilian onlookers, police, and.. Well.. Detectives, but of course.

Though not too far off though, within visual range of the building where they kept the precious jewel safely held within, were parked a few cars…

It was just so that one of such, being a particularly familiar black Porsche 356a, a certain Detective turned kid would find it oh so very familiar had he seen it there… Gin's car.

The two were there but of course, perhaps others as well, from time to time being relayed the current nature of the situation. As high ranking individuals to the Organization, to pull off and re-write the ending to this particular heist.

Insuring the jewel come into their hands at all cost. And to make a flawless job out of it.

It all seemed so simple, but the taller man didn't seem enthused. But then again, did he ever? .. Well, maybe sometimes, but the current moment did not involve killing a certain Shuichi Akai or shooting a bullet off into some turncoats skull, so that was a no. His partner no less wasn't too sure what to make of being sent on such an odd assignment. Never the less, neither questioned had questioned it. They'd do the work and in theory make out clean with it. Gin internally hoped to get a bit of a hunt out of it.

That's where the thrill lay in all of this, of course. In the hunt.

With a growl that reflected his mood, the taller of said agents blew a puff of heavy cigarette smoke out the open window of the automobile. "Any time now, Kid.."

Any time indeed.

The moment Conan had turned his back on the tower to back-track on his deduction, suddenly the police spotlights on the building were cut; the bangs each light screamed as they were shattered called the boy to turn back around, only to see the already dark building faded into the darkness of the sky.

Out of the entire crowd only one light was on. A spotlight. And in the center of this spotlight? A man dressed in all white with a blue-rimmed top-hat and a long, flowing cape.

Kaitou Kid.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Kaitou called out. It took the rest of the crowd a while to see where exactly the man -was-, granted they were shrouded in the night, lost in the confusion of the blackout. Their eyes finally focused upon the top story of the tower, where the spotlight shown from apparently nowhere, illuminating the... suspended magician. No strings attached. "Welcome, welcome... tonight I have a special trick for you all...!" He opened his arms as the crowd gasped in admiration; he was eating this up. "I will show you teleportation; this time? Without a wait."

With that the spotlight went off, and flicked back on only seconds later. Kaitou was standing a few feet above even the hardest grasping hands of the crowd, walking over his invisible floor as if it were no feat. After he approached the front of the building, he leaped, exploding into a cloud of smoke before re-appearing by the police force, standing above them tantalizingly. By now Nakamori's force was stationed inside; but it didn't stop the Beika officers from getting red-faced.

Vanishing again, he reappeared in the crowd. But standing right above a certain someone.

Edogawa Conan.

"Ah, tantei-kun, welcome to the show," he said off of his apparent microphone, winking at the boy before vanishing, a card dropping out of the smokescreen he left behind him.

"Kiddo." Conan grumbled quietly, snagging the card in mid-air while the magician preformed his little tricks. Giving it a once over he frowned, looked around, and tucked it in his pocket before vanishing off into the crowd, apparently encouraged by the thief to relocate to a more private location.

"And of course, I am not just a magician, but a thief, and in this title I shall perform my duties as a gentleman and keep my word...!" Kaitou whisked his cape backwards over his hand, holding... something above his head; something dark that glistened in the moonlight.

The Obsidian Sanctum.

A certain sharp eye caught a glimmer of moonlight.. And a smirk played along Gin's face.

The hunt was on.

"Aniki?" The shorter of the two agents looked to his partner, seeing that telltale look he had seen time to time on their assignments. That spark. He knew what was on the taller man's mind. He didn't really have to ask. It was more of a request to action.

"Pull the car around to the clearest point of the lot." Gin said shortly, staring with great intent to the point where the Phantom Thief had made his announcement and had since 'disappeared'. "Keep your eyes open for anything."

Vodka gave a nod, following Gin's direction. There were beeps in from over the receiver from some of those lower agents in the crowd, but he noticed that Gin was choosing to ignore them. Eventually he turned the thing off completely.

Those in the crowd would have no use in this. They were just as well off as the citizens around them.

It wouldn't be that easy.. Even they knew the Kid would put up quite a fight for those who would make chase after him. The Phantom always got away.

Not tonight.

As the car pulled around to a better vantage point, Gin kept a careful eye on the sky. He was waiting.

"The Sanctum is mine." Kaitou Kid announced proudly, bowing down, still standing on his invisible flooring, nearly a mile up from his audience. "And with this... I bid you all farewell, until next time...!"

Kaitou turned about, flicking his cape, exploding into a plume of vibrant white smoke, the falling tendrils of smoke dropping like firework residue. The Phantom had struck successfully; victory was his once more!

Meanwhile, however, the primary school student was bustling through the crowd, his hands in his pockets, his eyes cold and calculating. Looking for a specific spot in the crowd, he suddenly froze solid upon having a hand planted on his shoulder. Turning quietly, he caught the glance of purple eyes from under a ball-cap and smirked wryly.

The capped-man returned his smirk. Dressed as a tourist, camera and hulking knapsack and all, he patted the boy on the head admiringly, ruffling his bangs before blending into the crowd.

Edogawa Conan frowned a fraction upon seeing the purple-eyed man leave his presence, but recalling the note he'd been slipped, the frown righted itself into a smile and Conan exited the crowd, breaking out from under the police tape and melding into the city; he had a destination in mind, and upon grabbing the skateboard he'd left there, he rocketed off into the night, unaware of the threat that was after his rendezvous partner.

"I don't see anything, Aniki.."

There was a growl from the tall man in black, eying the scene. How kid had intended to make himself disappear was nearly flawless. They couldn't let themselves be fooled so easily. Not so early on into it.

"Circle around. Follow the crowd."

Of course his partner would do as he said, bringing the car around to where the people were in view. It wouldn't be likely of Kid to make himself stand out, but anyone making off out of the ordinary would be in Gin's sight.

And such was Conan. The flare of light from his skateboard catching in the corner of the man's eye..

"What was that?" Vodka had seen it too, both of them focusing on that spark. Oh dear. Perhaps Kid may have been able to blend in with the crowd, but his little Tantei had attracted the attention of the Black.. Once again.

"That will be our lead." With a predatory smile, Gin watched the light draw from the scene. It was just what he had been waiting for. One to dash top far from the crowd was an easy target to pick off. There was their prey.

"Follow it."

Conan kept his head down low, racing along the streets, the note Kaitou had given him in hand. Glaring at the words before glancing back up at the winding streets he was forcing himself into, he slowly began to realize what Kaitou was doing.

He was making sure Conan wasn't being followed.

The note itself was turn-by-turn, street-by-street directions that often led him to the same place he started. Conan crossed over main streets, zipped down alleyways and hopped fences as the note suggested. He would have his opportunity to stop Kaitou – even if it meant being pulled away from everyone else to prove it.

Of course he did have his pursuers. That harbinger of doom, the black Porsche, following at a distance. It was kept afar to remain in the least of suspicion. Yet it was somewhat difficult, some of the patterns making themselves clear as they tailed him.

Some of the directions backtracking, winding up where they were before, Of course, to throw off would-be pursuers off a trail. This sense of direction was too out of the ordinary NOT to gain such suspicion from the men. And so they followed. They were not the norm of said pursuers, after all.

Luckily for the boy, the cover of darkness still played in his part for maintaining the secret of his identity. At the moment they were still too far off to be trailing much more than the light off the propulsion of his board as he dashed through the city.

It became a bit of a problem when it did come down to said fences and alley's and became apparent that perhaps following in the vehicle wouldn't for long be the best way to trail this guy. Presumably to them, Kid himself on his getaway. Whoever he was had a path he was going on.

Often having to round about until they picked up sight of the light again, trailing, they WOULD find exactly where that path lead… and make that treasure their own.

Eventually the men in black would be able to let out a sigh of relief – the boy finally stopped a few miles off of the original heist site, his eyes locked on the paper. He reached up, scratching his head, adjusting his glasses, and looking upward towards the abandoned workspace tower he'd been directed to. He simply stood there, glaring up at the top of the building before his body loosed up, his face shifting from irritatingly puzzled and analytical to an epiphany. He smirked, crumpled the paper, and pocketed it.

Conan looked over both shoulders out of habit, glaring at the darkness before opening the door to the building – Kaitou, presumably, had cracked the lock beforehand. He led himself into the lobby of the building, peering about before finding another white slip of paper with Kid's signature on the floor.

The kid crinkled his nose, biting his lip – he just wanted to find Kid, get the gem back, and go on with his life, but obviously Kid was making him work for such a valuable goal. Sighing after giving the paper a once-over, he paced for a moment, thinking, the gears turning quickly before he froze, arriving at a conclusion to whatever puzzle he was solving.

He smirked and began up the stairwell of the furnished office – the power had been cut, so the elevator was out of the question. But he didn't seem to mind – this gave him more time to plan his strategy...

For the sake of their own sanity the two men were relieved when the goose chase had drawn to an end at its destination. Pulling up some moments after the boy had stepped into the building. They came to a stop, stepping out of the car in the relative silence of the moonlit night.

".. I guess they he thought he threw us off..." Vodka surveyed the height of the building before them. Such a tower, once used for business of some sort, though long sense had been abandoned for some reason or another.. Perhaps even likely to be condemned soon for some new city project. Either way, it had long sense been a used structure. It would be the perfect place for… well.. tricks. Many of them. Maybe he even knew they followed him? "You don't think it's a trap, do you, Aniki?"

"Hm," The taller of the two was surveying the scene with an eye sharp for detail. "There is bound to be." They WERE chasing Kaitou Kid, after all, who's fabled heists were reported all over Japan, even they had read about them in the papers from time to time. … Or at least they thought they were on Kid's trail.

Gin inspected the skateboard left by the door.. The ground near it still upset by its tracks.

"Wouldn't leave this here if he intended to lurk around and trick us outside..", Gin straightened up, looking at the busted lock, the fine layer of dust disturbed from someone's touch.. from someone stepping inside, "..Either way, he came inside. Let's go." He beckoned to his partner to follow.

The two stepped into the relative darkness quietly, eyes adjusting to the once well furnished office lobby. Anything that had once lit the interior of the structure seemed to not be in working order.

".. Powers been cut.." Vodka mumbled darkly, unable to see in the pitch. He made to pull out a flashlight, but found it only to be met covered by his partners hand before he could even light the beam.

"Save it for a last resort," the reprimand came in a whisper. "Keep to our cover as long as we can." Gin's own eyes adjusted quickly enough, a stay beam of moonlight was enough to spare its light to show him the main directive of this room was up the flight of stairs.

Conan kept ascending, the moonlight the one torch he had to go on for the stairwell. He had his own element of surprise and didn't wish to turn on his flashlight and disturb the lurking magician. Of course, however, knowing Gin's tracking skills, the kid would be easy to follow, granted Kid disturbed nothing as he walked – so all of the recent 'damage' done to the dust was solely from the brat as he gave chase.

Occasionally stopping to catch his breath, Conan finally arrived on what he could tell was the uppermost floor of the building – the ceiling gave way to many windows here, lighting the room eerily. Old tables and chairs were strewn about, a few broken computer components lying about. Conan kept inside the stairwell, breathing silently, gazing out at his new surroundings.

Kid was here. If his deduction based on the clues were correct, he was here.

Conan readied his stun-gun wristwatch, the action breaking the silence with a quiet 'click'. The brat couldn't hear it – his blood was rushing in his ears from the excitement no matter how loud he mentally told his heart to calm itself.

Gently, the boy took his first step outward, his shoe regaining color as he passed into the moonlight, the cross hairs of his watch carefully calibrated. He dared not make a sound.

The agents followed, not far behind. Sticking close together, they seemed ready for whatever tricks they suspected Kid could have laid out for them..

"Hey.. Aniki, do you think that stone is really worth all this?" Vodka inquired the opinion from his partner, as they made their way up the narrow, dusty flight.

"Probably not." Gin's reply was a short grumble. He was checking each of the doorways as they passed. No, none of them had been disturbed, which lead to continuing up.. His mind was busy on the hunt.

"They say it affects mortality, somehow.. Makes it harder to die.. Easier to live."

"..How about that.." Gin growled lowly beneath his breath. The dust on the handrail was disturbed here. Someone had paused here just moments ago. They were getting close..

"Yeah.. Wouldn't that be something-"

_Click._

Vodka found himself suddenly cut off by the situation at hand. The two froze.

Suddenly silence.

A click?

There was a pause. And then one.. No, two returning clicks, as if to answer the detective's own. Not far off, and behind him. A cause for Conan to be concerned?

Perhaps.

The hairs on the boy's neck stood up. Clicks? Kaitou would never shoot him. Who else was here...?

The silence around him was no more but a hopeful memory. His heart was racing. Someone had followed him, and by the sounds of it, they were armed. Where was Kaitou...? Had he lied to him...? Did he deduce incorrectly...?

A normal child would ask who was there, but Conan was a trained adult. He bit his lip and darted into the room full-on, lit up by the moonlight. His eyes were peeled for a place for him to hide. There was none. Not here.

"Shit..." He swore under his breath quietly, his heart going hard enough to explode. Usually this wouldn't matter – but all of those extra precautions Kid had him take to get here... whoever was here had followed him, and given how determined they were – and the fact they were armed – made this different. Nakamori would be yelling for Kid's surrender. No. This was someone else.

The boy, stuck centered in the supposed dining area, was stone frozen, trying to think; he had to change gears from 'Kaitou Duel' to 'Serious Threat'. So far the conversion wasn't going well. He looked over his shoulder, his bright blue eyes full of a controlled type of panic. He wanted to see who was there...!

The gears of his brain suddenly locked and released their steam. He grinned. He had an idea.

The footsteps that approached the archway to the door-less room were carefully planted. The two of them quiet, their presence subtle in the darkness. The brush of a coat along the very wall that Conan hid along, almost touching him. Something Conan would find oh so familiar, from the back of his mind. Faint traces of smoke, alcohol..

Gin.

The tall man crept past him in the dark, his sharp eyes piercing through the bleakness. He was followed up closely by his stockier partner; both of them with pistols drawn, on edge. It would have seemed the very click from Conan's watch had set them off.

Luckily the very entrance way was in the shadows, away from the of the moonlight shining from the window on the opposite wall, allowing the boy to remain hidden if he stayed quiet enough. God, there they were though. So very close. Heart stoppingly close.

Gin silently beckoned his partner near, turning his back to where Conan hid. The tall man knelt to the ground where it was lit by the beam from the window, silver hair glinting off the moon's rays. He was examining right where the boy had been standing, just before he had dashed against the wall; where the dust was disturbed from his hasty movement. "Someone was here.."

"Someone indeed!" A voice rang out – young, loud and prideful. Familiar to the one from the crime scene. Too familiar. But there was no body to match with the sound – the voice came from everywhere and nowhere at once, as if they were stuck in the mouth of the speaker. The very voice of Kid himself.

Conan was still frozen. The very moment the smell had hit him, it was as if he'd been tranquilized. His throat was covered in ice, his fingers were numb, wrapped tightly around his bow-tie-voice-changer. He had planned to scare his followers off by impersonating Nakamori, but now? No. He wouldn't dare breathe. If they saw him, this would all be over – this had evolved from Kaitou.

Even the sound of the magician's voice from all around him and his stalkers wasn't breaking the stone seal of Conan's silence. If anything it made it worse. They'd kill Kaitou. And then they'd kill him.

"Tell me, gentlemen... how can I help you this evening?" With a plume of glittering smoke, Kid appeared at the very edge of the glassy wall, a hand holding the brim of his hat. He bowed briefly, removing it, before placing it back on his head, monocle bright despite having his back to the moonlight. "I'm expecting someone, so please; don't hold back."

A smirk was growing on Kaitou Kid's face. A true phantom indeed, as despite having his face... mostly visible aside from the shadow, his hair and the monocle, his face seemed bland – emotionless, aside from that large, toothy grin.

Conan was plastered to the wall, his heart pounding out of his chest. He was screaming for Kaitou to run, but the words in his head were too scared to reach downward. The boy stood in the shadows, his terrified eyes trembling, fingernails digging into the worn plaster.

Gin's gaze snapped up to the source of the voice, eyes sharp as knives. "Ah… There you are, Kaitou Kid." Gin stood, and both men turned to face the Phantom. "We wont be here to keep you, Thief.."

As a usual, Gin would have made quick work of the situation. Shooting first and asking questions later; He would let his gun do the talking. But luckily for Kaitou and Conan, Conan's tranquilizer had led them both to belief that the thief was just as armed as they were. Complicating things for the men in black just a bit, but buying the other two a moment to think.

"We're here to do a bit of business, with you.." There was a click as Gin raised his Beretta, point blank range, pointing it to the gentlemen thief. "About that stone of yours. The Obsidian Sanctum." The tall man gave a grin to return that of Kaitou's.. abide, his was filled with a lust for more.. sinister intentions.

Kaitou raised his arms, smirking, his other eye hidden by the shadow draped over his face.

"Tsk. You should know better than to take something that isn't yours, gentlemen..." The thief began quietly, his voice noticeably quieter, but still somehow radiating off of every surface in the room. "I'm going to kindly ask you to leave. You might scare off my date for the evening, and I'd dread having to schedule a rain check. But please, if you insist on shooting, at least do it now so I won't waste my breath..."

He grinned a bit, but the grin vanished as out of the corner of his eye he caught a glint in the moonlight. Circular glass. Conan's wristwatch. He was going to shoot the tall, silver-haired man...!

Kaitou's eye flashed from under the draped shadow of his tophat, glaring a warning into the darkness. He should have known better than to remove his eyes from Gin – but he saw Conan as his responsibility. He had brought him here. He had been followed. And he was in great danger... mentally the thief kicked himself.

He looked back to Gin, smiling, awaiting for an answer from his mouth... or his gun. Either way he needed to keep their attention off of Conan...

"We wouldn't want your plans to go sour, of course.." Gin narrowed his eyes, obviously not enjoying the hesitation. He was watching every move the thief made carefully. This was a case where his prey had the potential to strike back at a most cornered moment. "I'm afraid we cannot, until we have what we have come for.."

The glance of his eye. Vodka seemed to catch it, glancing to the appealingly empty shadows, the doorway.. Conan's direction. His eyes weren't as sharp as Gin's behind those glasses.. But still, precaution won over and he moved he moved his position up beside his partner.

... Inadvertently placing himself between Gin and Conan. Oh dear.

Gin had lost his smile. The raise of the thief's hands... Where was the gun he had heard before? It must be some sort of trick. His patience was worn thin incredibly quick."Where is the stone."

"It isn't yours," Kaitou looked at Vodka carefully before looking through him, barely making out Conan's shallow outline in the darkness. "That's all there is to it. Now, if you would kindly put the gun down..."

Conan watched the exchange with terrified eyes. Kaitou had warded him off from attacking, but who knew how long it would be before the moonlight shifted...? Even now it was dangerously close to his shoes, and the shadows around him were only getting thinner. He had to think. And thinking is hard when you're terrified.

"Be reasonable, sir... what use do you have for such a thing...?" Kaitou smiled at Gin, talking to him as if he were a child misbehaving. "Be a good boy and -run along-..." He grit his teeth, the message in his speech meant for Conan as opposed to Gin.

"More use than for worth alone, with what I've heard.." Gin didn't lower his faithful weapon, taking a step forward, making to circle around the thief… His intention? Grab sight of the blasted thing, then make a clear shot. Make quick work out of the Kid for wasting his time.

"A matter between that of mortality.. Between life and death?" He growled under his breath as he spoke, green eyes piercingly sharp. They were locked on that of the thief, as was his trigger. Why hadn't he shot him already? No sensible thief would keep a treasure such as that on his person, not when he KNEW he would be chased.

".. You're the only one who knows where it is now. If I killed you on the spot, I'd likely gain nothing, or perhaps find a fake.." He spoke his running mind as he circled close to the thief, glaring horrible daggers. His finger itched to shoot, aching horribly to squeeze the trigger. It wasn't his 'style' to negotiate. And that's why Vodka usually did the speaking on business trips.

Kaitou's eye strayed to the shadow and winked; but only once. He looked back at Gin fast enough to make it seem as if the gesture was for him. "Ah, clever..." Knowing Conan wasn't going to run, he might as well make himself useful. "But two against one? So unfair. I'm going to even the odds."

Kaitou snapped his fingers. Conan stepped forward silently and pressed the dial of his watch.

After a brief moment of silence after the snap, Vodka let out a moan, falling to his knees before collapsing onto his front; he was breathing, but he was out cold. Conan had stepped back into the shadows, a small, worried smirk growing on his features.

One down. One to go. He couldn't take Gin alone... but with Kaitou Kid? This would be easy; and he could finally get his answers. This night had gone from catastrophic to excellent.

Gin would look… genuinely shocked for but a moment, turning to his partner in a flash, only to see him go down beside him in a heap so quickly.

It caused the panic of thought, He had fallen so fast… was the man, his partner, _dead_?

"Vodka!" Just as quick as he had fallen, Gin was at his side, over him. As though for just a moment, it had opened that window showing … a speck of humanity left in the killer? Muttering under his breath, He had him propped against his arm, hand pressed to his 'brother's' vitals .. He was breathing. Alive. Knocked out cold. .. Drugged? … or worse, poison?

"…"

And just as it had opened.. that window snapped shut.

They'd done it now.

Like **_HELL _**they had done it now.

Quick as he had gone down, Gin's arm snapped up, firing off three consecutive quick shots to where Kaitou had stood. He didn't give a second glance to look back and see if it hit or missed. If it had missed, he'd shoot him again. All the more pleasure to kill him twice. He was nearly snarling, an innate rage working itself up..

.. Oh but, in the situation where it was, where Vodka had put himself before falling.. Right between Conan and Kaitou.. … Oh dear.

Gin looked up again, for what would feel like to be quite slowly.. Face to face with said Detective boy.. Quite.. Close.. Green eyes full a fiery rage, piercing the darkness.

…

_Well, they had done it now._

Luckily for Kaitou the shots dug through his cape before shattering the windowed wall behind him loudly; his attempt to intimidate this man...!

Conan gasped quietly, but a gasp was a gasp. He'd blown his cover.

"Tantei-kun! Run!" He shouted; he felt so helpless. He was a magician, not a sage – his powers were useless without an audience. He drew his only gun, the one that shot cards as a deadly speed, and aimed it at Gin, firing off a few aces before running for him, arms open; the plan was simple. If Gin moved, he'd grab Conan and leave. If Gin didn't, he'd be tackled. It seemed flawless enough...

Though sometimes, even the most.. Flawless of maneuvers go awry. Especially when the devil himself had become angry.

Gin's arm had lashed out, pinning the poor child against the wall. He was still knelt down, at his height..! He HAD him. And it became apparent just how strong his grip was, as the cards bit in against him, slicing deep gashes through the black of his coat, with quick sprays of crimson in the moonlight.

He didn't falter. Did he feel it at all?

Instead, in a swift motion, had snagged the detective from his place, snatching him up in a dreadful embrace of black, blood, and silver. How awful it must have been to be that close. It was apparent that Gin was willing, in all his rage, to take Kaitou's force head on..

Conan was too scared to move; there was the occasional kick, but other than that, he had no real resistance to being taken up.

Kaitou's eyes grew large. He slammed his shoe down and aimed his gun at Gin's head; Gin had thoughtlessly fired at him without hesitation before – he knew if he finished his assault Conan could likely get hurt. Or worse. The hand that held the gun shook ever so slightly despite his usual demeanor of emotionless. He was afraid.

"Put the kid down," Kaitou commanded loudly, his voice hard and loud despite his inner dread. This man was heartless; now he could see why Conan stayed so valiantly in the darkness. Did he know this man, somehow? "He's sorry for your partner. He was only following orders." He tried to stay cool, calm, and gentlemanly, but inside he was vulnerable. He'd snap Conan's neck, given the chance, wouldn't he? "He didn't have a choice. Now put him down and we'll talk about the Sanctum. You've made your point."

"Orders?" .. Had this all been business, were they duped? His mind was running, the anger that was controlling him continued to bite. No. no.. he wouldn't be tricked. He looked at Vodka on the floor.. His eyes flickered upwards, feeling the cool metal of the gun pressed against his head. Those eyes were a sharp, cold green in the moonlight. As even Shinichi had happened to ponder them once, eyes that had seen countless deaths.. Many by his own hand. Thankfully for Conan's own sake Gin hadn't recognized him as one of his ghosts.

".. No."  
A cruel grin grew across his face as he stood, holding the poor boy against him in a death grip. ".. We'll discuss it just like this." The tall man seemed unfazed, even at gunpoint. A few bloody drips trickling to the ground from somewhere in the dark folds of his coat.. A real monster. He was holding the kid there to get exactly what he wanted.. Of course, unless they were somehow able to overtake and subdue him..

Gin would feel the oddly-shaped gun pull off of his scalp, dropping back to the magician's side. He couldn't risk Conan getting hurt; and he knew that, judging by the fact this man had taken cards full on, he wasn't one for flinching or giving up. He hadn't even winced.

"... fine. We shall do this your way." Kaitou stepped backward from Gin, frowning deeply. He had to think, and fast, before Gin killed Conan out of spite. "... how do you wish to do this, then...? I could tell you where I've placed the Sanctum. But you might think I'm lying and kill the child. I could show you where I hid it, but odds are you'd kill him the moment the gem is in your possession. My proposal is you let the boy go on my word that you shall have what you desire." The magician frowned. "However you will most likely decline as will I, so I'll move on... You enjoy having a bargaining chip?"

Kaitou smirked and pulled a small vial from his sleeve, holding it up so that the moonlight reflected its green-yellow contents.

"That's fine. I like to bargain too." He smirked, simply holding the vile. "This will be vital to you; or rather, your partner. Let the boy go." He seemed awfully chipper, tucking the vial back into his sleeve. "Else you'll leave with empty-handed; unless you consider his corpse a worthy prize."

The magician wasn't bending. He understood the value of the gem, should the lore be true – and he understood a man like this should never have access to that kind of power, should it exist.

He'd decided to gamble life with life.

"The boy had his usual tranquilizer dart unknowingly replaced with a certain breed of neurotoxin. It's a strain I've worked on myself that kills after an hour of exposure. The vial I flashed is the antidote," Kaitou glared. "Give me the boy."

Conan would feel.. A certain falter in Gin's grip, for once at the mention of said toxin ..

A stone wasn't worth it. Bloody thing wasn't worth the trouble in the first place, in his own mind. If it hadn't been a direct order from That Person, he wouldn't have chosen to take this job. .. It wasn't worth that. Not worth losing his brother. It just wasn't. Even if there were processions for it, he was going against his assignment now.

… God forbid he caught onto the ploy, he'd rape them all sideways with a rail gun.

"Learning me all too well, Phantom," Gin growled under his breath. Conan would feel the death grip slide away, as Gin knelt to let him ease to the floor. His eyes remained locked on Kaitou as he stood up, "..Alright, there's your boy."

The moment Conan felt his feet touch the floor, whatever had been holding him quiet and still shattered, the child running at Kaitou, hugging his leg hard, his eyes wide and terrified, lips quivering. Part of his expression was an act, but only part. Most of the fear was real, however – his heart was still pounding out of its cage.

"Nice doing business with you." Kaitou picked Conan up, holding him like a baby, the child clinging onto his chest, digging his head into his suit, fingers biting deep into his collar. He threw a smoke-bomb. And just like that, in a bright plume of glittering smoke, the thief and Conan were gone.

Gin would be left with a small note and the vial, as promised.

The note was simple.

"I lied. Better luck next time!"

Signed, Kaitou Kid.

… They'd hear the roaring shout of a reply.

It was angry.

And quite vulgar.

Perhaps a bit too vulgar to maintain the rating of this story.

It might have even included a few direct threats toward someone's mother.

Gin growled, terribly angry, glaring out the shattered window into the moonlit night with bitter resolve. He'd get Kaito Kid.. … and his little brat sidekick too. Whoever he was. He left the window with an irritated huff.

".. Aniki?" There was a yawn from behind him and Gin turned to see his partner finally coming to, sitting up and running his hand through his hair before replacing his hat. Who could sleep through all that yelling.

A simple sedative. He was perfectly fine.

"… What happened back there, I.. cant remember a thing after.. I.." He looked to the taller man, who looked… even more irritable than the norm? Was that a bit of a stretch? And why had he been.. Yelling so loud?

Gin knelt down to his level on the floor.. Giving him a long hard stare. The man was not amused. He opened his hand, holding it out flat before him.. something was there..?

"… Aniki-" He was cut off by a plink sound as something odd bounced right off his glasses. A small vial? Gin had flicked it right at him, a tired smirk on his face. "…" Vodka caught it in his hands with a fluster before it fell to the floor, blinking as he saw the attached note. ".. Oh." Well. Oops.

"Let's get out of here." Gin grumbled with a sigh, getting back to his feet. .. Though even if he wouldn't say it out loud, (_especially after all of his rage_) he was relieved that it had been just a lie. His partner was fine. His own wounded pride would heal. "Damn Kid…", He was sure they wouldn't hear the end of it once word caught around the base that the Phantom Thief had pulled a fast one over big bad Gin. The hell Vermouth would give him. He could almost hear her teasing from here.

Soon they found themselves trudging back down the stairs, empty handed. All in all, after the nights events, Gin would come to a resolution with himself. He'd more likely shoot himself in the foot before he would ever ever go hunting after a bloody, damned, worthless **_rock _**again.


End file.
